At Liberty's End
by MissPuck
Summary: Zach has been taken to Primatech Paper because he too has a gift. Can he use it to save himself and two others from the company? Zach, 2OC's, Claude, Hana, Haitian, GabrielSylar, Linderman, Bennett, all heroes will make at least an appearance.
1. Prologue

Zach has been taken to Primatech paper and told he, like Claire, will be very special. There he meets the mysterious Vera Gray, a solemn girl obsessed with finding her brother and May Linderman, a self-assured do-gooder hell bent on saving the world from her father. Together they formulate a plan to escape The Company and find Hana Gitelman so they can destroy their former kidnappers.

This first chapter is set between Run and Unexpected. It goes through to the end of the series and changes the finale. As for the graphic novels, it uses up until the death of Hana Gitelman.

**Important notes**: so far I have no couples, maybe that will come to me as a write or if anyone has any ideas, go ahead and put 'em out there. Characters besides Zach and his two new friends to be featured are The Haitian, Sylar/Gabriel, Hana, Claude, Bennett, Linderman (although all heroes will probably be making an appearance.)

I picture Alexis Bledel (Rory from Gilmore Girls) as Vera, personally and Allison Mack (chloe from Smallville) as Bolt.

**Prologue**

First Impressions 

_I don't believe in destiny. I never have. I've been told by the few people I've encountered that I've not had enough experience to say for sure whether there is such a thing as fate or not. They're partly right. I've spent most of my life in cages, some gilded, some otherwise, but I was in captivity nonetheless. Still, I feel as though I've lived enough to make a proper decision on the idea. Personally, I believe in choice. We all make choices in life. It's ridiculous to think someone was destined to walk a certain path or that they were born a monster. Monsters aren't born, they're molded. No one knows that better then me. My brother, after all, is the boogey man. So yes, choices, not destiny- that's the key. _

"You can't keep me here forever!" Zach banged his hand on the glass window feverishly as he screamed the words at nothingness. "My family will be looking for me! Friends! I'm not the TYPE to run away!" Breathing ragged he leaned against the glass, trying to keep tears at bay. It was hard to be tough and manly when you're taken in the middle of the night, gagged and thrown into the back of a van by burly masked men. Fear had seized him as he was dragged from his bed and had yet to let go.

He pounded at the glass one last time before turning around sliding down the door to the ground. Tears slipped silently down his cheeks his shame only made him cry harder. He buried his head in his knees and used his right arm to cover the very top of his forehead so that these people, whoever they were, wouldn't see his childish, weak response. But that was the story of his life- trying to hide the hurt.

His mind raced with questions on what was happening, why was it happening to him and how was he going to escape. He was sliced with guilt at the very idea of this being Claire's fault when he knew, even if it was because of her, it wasn't purposeful. She never meant to put him in any danger. Still, the only reason he could come up with being kidnapped and taken to a white walled cell with an observation glass was something crazy like her gifts. Hopefully she'd notice he was missing and attempt to do something about it…like in comic books.

Whenever the sidekick would go missing the hero would always rescue them. Not that he was a sidekick, well, he didn't think he was a sidekick- however he did hold qualities many sidekicks possessed.

Why was he caring about that _now_? Insanity. Just insanity. But all of that was buried beneath paralyzing fear and anguish at the situation itself.

"They're not going to hurt you."

Zach looked up and for the first time noticed the girl sitting in the shadows between a dresser and a bed. He couldn't quite see her, just an outline and for the first time he actually looked beyond the white, frightening walls. It was like someone put a mirror in the middle of the room and made identical sides. On each side was a bed with light blue sheets, a white dresser and a door. In the very center of the room was an open door, he creaked his head to the right and saw inside was a bathroom.

He looked back at where the girl was seated. "Where are we? What is this place? Who are you?" It all came out in a panicked streak and he stepped towards where her shadowed figure was. "Who are you?" He repeated.

"Don't be scared." She answered in a whisper. She moved, shifting and then slowly stood. She was a slight of a girl with ghostly white skin, though he saw none of it past her throat for she was garbed in a silken, long-sleeved dark shirt, faded black jeans and black boots. Her hair was long and dark, matching the shirt she donned, she wore it down and it fell over her shoulders neatly. Her lips were thick and pink on an angled face with high cheek bones. She was pretty, he realized, like the girl next door, very sweet and innocent looking- a modern, live snow white. But when she opened her eyes and their gazes met he realized that she wasn't pretty at all.

She was gorgeous.

Not like Claire was gorgeous, a different kind. There was something unearthly and even slightly creepy about her. One eye was a beautiful, morning sky blue, the kind you didn't want to look away from it was so light and the other a dark, complex emerald green. She blinked once and all of a sudden he remembered that a moment ago he had been afraid- that moment seemed a lifetime ago. Lost time. He shook himself and looked at her again. "Who are you?"

"Vera Gray." She stepped forward and tilted her head to the side. "Bokor, he touched you, didn't he?"

"Who?" Zach asked, his body relaxing. He sat down on the bed and stared at her. Her beauty was like a diamond or a statue not the warm and cheerful beuty Claire maintained and she spoke in low tones, almost whispery without inflection. "I don't know?"

"The man who takes your memory away, Bokor, it's what I call him." She hovered near him, not touching, her hands poking out from her shirt as she almost touched the side of his face, he could feel the air move around his cheek but no contact was made. "Who are you?"

"Zachary Nauman." He responded, "Not as cool as Bokor or anything but it's suited me fine through life."

"Zachary." She repeated, placing her hands at her sides. "Close your eyes, keep them closed and remember…remember…."

Wetting his lips he laid down on the bed and did as she asked, current predicament the last thing on his mind. Thoughts surged forwards at a lightening pace until he couldn't think anymore, he couldn't even comprehend them, it was all just so fast.

"_This is Claire Bennet. And that was attempt number six."_

"_Popular? Who said anything about being popular? My life as I know it is over, okay? I've got the Bishop game next week, SAT's in October, homecoming's three weeks from today, and I'm a freak show!"_

"_You're hanging out with Claire? Since when is she talking to you again?"_

"_The videotape! The tape where you're, like, killing yourself like twenty times."_

"_But you are, Claire. You are different. Don't you see that? Don't you see that none of this matters? School spirit doesn't matter. Being a pretty blonde cheerleader doesn't matter. It's not who you are anymore."_

"_Well, I hope they're not. No offense, but I like -- I like that you're the freak. It makes you more ... special or whatever."_

"Jesus." When he opened his eyes he was dizzy and his head throbbed. It felt like some had packed it with knowledge and memories but it wasn't nearly as chaotic as his emotions. Resentment, attraction, love, denial- they all welled inside him until he thought he'd explode. Claire. Claire. Claire. Everything was so mixed up in his head and in his heart, he didn't understand any of it. Then all of a sudden the confusion was dwindling and he had put it all out of his head. "You…you're special too?"

"I hate that word."

He tried to sit up but after moving an inch he decided lying down was the better option. "So it isn't just Claire- that guy who took my memory and you who brought it back…there's more."

He felt her presence next to him on the bed but far enough away that he couldn't reach out and touch her. "Yes. Like us."

Zach shifted his body to one side, still not able to sit up but wanting to look at her to express how insane she was. "Me? I don't _have_ a gift."

She raised an eyebrow, "that's strange then."

"Why?"

She stood, clasping her hands together, "You have an ability or they believe you have one, it just hasn't manifested yet." She walked across the room and touched the glass, sliding her fingertips down it before turning back to look at him. "The gene is passed down, my father had one and thusly I acquired one. Perhaps they know of your parents?"

Her suggestion seemed absurd. _His _ parents having powers? Only if arguing every night until they got a divorce was some sort of gift. Their arguments had driven his father to the North East, somewhere in Boston was the last he heard, not that anyone bothered to tell him. "What do you have? What did your father have?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. Gabriel's father could teleport though."

He noted her not telling him what her power was and didn't ask who Gabriel was though for a moment he felt he should have, "and you think I have one of these?"

"Those who cannot advance their cause are discarded, you weren't."

"Look, I've always been a freak- I just don't think in that way. Not that I'm bagging it, I'd love to have some kind of ability- maybe invisibility, that'd be cool, or super strength but I don't."

She stared at him, "your…friend…?"

"What about my friends?"

"No…lover? No…but you wanted it to be more then friendship. No. No, never mind, don't tell me." She looked past him and he turned around to see Claire's father and the man who took his memories staring at them, his hand on Bennett's shoulder.

"Telling the lad to keep secrets already?" Claire's father asked. Mr. Bennett looked to Zach, "come with me son, there are some things we should discuss." He pressed a button and the glass door opened. Vera made no move to walk out, her gaze was locked with the man she called Bokor. He had the feeling he was missing something there, as though they were having their own conversation using no words at all. Zach began to walk towards Claire's dad with trepidation, where were they going now? The calm was still over him, holding him from screaming bloody murder or crying his eyes out. After he exited the door the other man stepped in and Mr. Bennett pressed the button to shut the glass door. It ended with a clang of a lock snapping shut that echoed through the room.

Zach turned around, they were standing, barely apart, only looking at each other somberly. "What are they doing?

"He trains her." Mr. Bennett responded matter-of-factly. "They hope to make her a field agent. They fail to realize that she'll never comply to their ways. She's a monster."

"She seems nice."

Mr. Bennett said nothing, only motioned for him to follow through the narrow hallway. Close to his heels and yet keeping a watchful eye on things around them, Zach complied. "She's not what she seems and neither, son, are you. I suppose you have a great deal of questions. Why you're here, why I'm lying to my daughter, why the world is suddenly a whole new place to name a few."

"Yeah," Zach responded dryly, "something along those lines."

They turned down the hallway. Right, he noted, deciding a mental map might be helpful. "Your father, your real father, was a partner of mine."

"Excuse me. Real father?" Zach stopped dead, "is this some kind of twisted joke?"

Mr. Bennett shook his head, "no, Zach, it isn't. It's ironic, he never wanted children- not that he didn't love you, Zach, he did. It's why he never claimed you, really, never told anyone about you. He was trying to protect you. But isn't that what father's really do? Protect their children?" Not his real father. It made sense. He hated that it made sense but it did. It explained the late night arguments, his father's terse, callous remarks regarding his mother's virtues, the long hours his father spent at work, how he favored his younger sister more, taught her how to play sports and never tried with him. His stomach twisted at those thoughts and he closed his eyes, emotions bubbling to the surface. The calm was ebbing. "It's unfortunate that he conveyed those feelings to your mother who, in a heated argument with your step-father, screamed it back at him. He, in turn, told someone else and the news leaked back to us."

"Who is us? What is this place?"

"That's a fairly complicated question but I need you to listen, don't ask any questions, just obey. They can not know that Claire's…ability has manifested itself- they'll bring her here too." His pace quickened, his voice became hushed and they passed each door so quickly that they were blurring together in a stream of white. "And I am going to do everything I can to get you out of here, I promise."

"I would never hurt Claire." Zach responded curtly, offended that he would even think such a thing, "Mr. Bennett, you're the one who is hurting her- with your lies. Like…like…my mother hurt me…" It was hard to make the comparison, difficult to think about and it only brought up anger and resentment that he was having difficulty controlling. "Who? Who is he? My father?"

His breathing began to quicken, he was feeling sick and twisted inside.

"His name is Claude and I'm very sorry, I'm very sorry but he…he's been gone for a very long time."

"Gone? Gone how?" It was getting worse, the room was spinning. Mr. Bennett was going in and out of focus, the light was brighter then it should have been and his mouth was so dry he felt like vomiting. Fear. Fear so strong it sliced through his psyche and wiped away the rest of the conflicting emotions. He felt his body moving forward, he was going to fall… 

And then there was nothing.

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What if his son had been in the city? That was the burning question he asked himself, the inquiry that changed his mind and decided him on helping Peter Petrelli. What if it had been his boy? He only had a picture of him, nothing more and he never would have anything more or any of him when he got older. Just a faded baby photograph that he carried with him.

He'd done wrong by hunting his own people, giving them to the bad guys. He should have known better, should have done something right. Like Wireless, she was making a difference.

He was just bullying the human race out of bitterness.

But now he had a chance to do something, to help Peter harness his powers, maybe save a whole lot of people. Wireless would be laughing at him for this one, some kid with a bad haircut pops into his life and suddenly it's no longer the invisible man, he's the invisible hero. She'd make some crack about him having a heart after all.

He knew his son wasn't in the city, he was safe in Odessa, but still…

What if?

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Sometime he felt like she was alive.

Like she had never left.

Like the void was completely filled. Those moments were brief and scarce but each time it felt like home.

Those feelings had been intense while that idiot Bennett had him locked away, he could feel her gently brushing his mind, it felt like insect antenna's, light and easy. Perfect. She felt perfect. He had raised her that way, their mother hadn't, she was only a painful reminder to her. His father resented her, loathed her. They locked her away and kept her a secret. Shame. They were ashamed of her. But to him she was so much more then they could ever imagine and so he taught her all he knew, he read her stories, taught her how to read, how to write, how to do figures. He versed her in fine literature and anything else he knew.

Then he would remember she wasn't alive. That she had died and left him more alone then he had ever felt before. His father too. She had been so excited, it was rare that they let her leave the apartment. She had only been outside when he had snuck her out to the park before that. She loved it there. Then she was gone. Just gone. A second ticked by and everything changed.

And that left him alone…with her…their mother.

Gabriel Gray stared at the body of Zane Taylor on the floor. One day his mother would look at him the way Vera did. One day…

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When he woke the girl was standing over him, behind her "Bokor". The world was right again and he was calm. "I'm sorry," that quiet tone, "I should have explained to Bennett that I hadn't centered you yet." 

"Centered me?" Zach looked around, Bennett was on the bed. "You were keeping me calm. Right? How? How do you do that?" 

She shrugged, "I just do. I always have. I'm not like the others. I've always had my gift. That's why they keep me here to do those tests, they want to know what makes me tick." She smirked at the last word then looked to Bennett though he didn't seem to get the joke. "You don't mind, do you? Me calming you down?" 

Zach shook his head, at that point anything was better then what had just happened to him. "N…no."

"Good." She stood, clasping her hands together and turning her back to him. "You should be alright now, centered. Think about what's happening to you right now."

He did. He thought of the men picking him up in the middle of the night, he pictured them in his head and though he could remember being scared he wasn't actually anxious. So he thought of his father, or the man he thought was his father, the constant screaming in his home, because of his birth no doubt and he tried to be angry but he couldn't. He was calm. Incredibly so. Then he thought of Claire. The pang in his heart for her remained, it hadn't been whisked away by the fog of peace that had clouded the rest of his mind. He wanted to thank this strange girl for that but instead he just smiled at her. "I feel…fine. So you're like…a mind controller?"

"Kind of." Bennet answered for her when she didn't respond. "The closest name they've found for her is that her gift is Empathy. She can…gauge any emotion and…manipulate it. Technically she can make people want to do things they don't actually want to do. Well, in theory."

_I can also talk to you. Like this and if you think back at me you can respond. But I can't actually read your thoughts._

_Like this? _

_Yeah._ It was as though her voice was in his head, like he could hear her but her lips didn't move and neither man beside her reacted. "So I have some kind of telepathy too." 

"That's really, really cool." Zach sat up and tried to offer her a bright smile but he was certain it came off wobbly. "You should go into therapy or something, I bet you could help a lot of people."

"Or she could feed off of their emotions like she just did yours." Bennett responded, standing up and standing between them. "She doesn't have emotions of her own, Zach. Remember that. If it means she gets out of here she'll sell you out in a heart-beat." His tone was fierce, cold, he meant what he was saying and when he looked to her his eyes were hard. "If you don't believe me, ask her father."

She glanced at him casually, "step-father," came her calm correction.

"Touché."

"What happened to him?" Zach wanted to know.

Vera Gray stared directly into his eyes unflinchingly, "I killed him."


	2. Chapter One

Author's Note: Italics in large portions is telepathic speaking. Bold is type.

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters but Bolt and Vera

Chapter One

Bolt

It wasn't just what Vera said it was how she said it. There was such a quiet, deadly calm in her voice- it was in her to kill and the tone she used hit that home.

Zach found himself alone he left Vera behind once more with the Haitian gentleman who didn't speak. He and Mr. Bennett were now in a small space, a room much like the one he had originally found himself in but smaller with only one bed and a dresser, it was barely a closet, really and he didn't know which was worse, being alone with a confessed killer or being alone with Claire's lying, possibly a killer, father.. "Can't I just stay here, alone?"

"Vera will keep you calm, her 'centering' only lasts for so long." Mr. Bennett responded, "and until they feel you can stay calm on your own, she's your roommate."

Zach sighed heavily, what good would being calm have if his new roommate killed him? Apparently Mr. Bennett didn't care- not that he could actually trust the man anyway. He was lying to Claire and he had helped kidnap him, not to mention the man's whole life seemed to be one giant lie. It was pretty shaky ground and Zach wasn't stupid, at least he hoped he wasn't being stupid. But what was the smart thing to do or was there no choice to be made at all? "And if she kills me?"

"She's very goal oriented and killing you would deter her from her constant objective." He reassured meaningfully, "and her goal is to become an agent so she can go back to her life with her brother. They promised this to her and she'll expect it. Killing you would keep her from becoming an agent."

"What if she loses her temper?" Zach persisted, not at all calmed. "I can get annoying, or so the girls at school tell me."

"Vera doesn't have a temper, Son."

Zach said nothing more. Instead he wondered how Mr. Bennett had come to have this life. How…his father had come to have this life. "What was he like- my father?" It was still so hard to imagine that his name wasn't Zachary Nauman, to have some other last name- one he didn't know.

"The truth?"

Zach nodded.

"I used to think he was a man who betrayed this company." His voice was thoughtful, filled with apology, "but now I realize he was doing what was right. He was right and I…I was very, very wrong." It felt like Claire's father was holding back but Zach didn't press it, instead he just sat quietly beside him. "He was funny, sarcastically so, always had a comeback. I liked him."

"What…was his ability?"

"Invisibility." Bennett smiled, "that came in useful during some pretty tough situations. He came in useful period, he was damn good at what he did." He stood up and stretched a little, looking ahead and not at Zach. There was a strain on his expression. "He'd like you too, he liked people who went against the grain, who were themselves. He respected it."

Very unlike the man he always thought was his father. He hoped Mr. Bennett was right and that his father would have respected, maybe even liked him, for his individuality. It had always been something to be proud of in his opinion. "My father, he's dead, isn't he?"

Mr. Bennett nodded, still not looking at him. "He went out for a cause he believed in."

Dying for a cause didn't make him any less dead and it didn't fill the sudden void in Zach's heart. How he could mourn a man he never knew, Zach wasn't sure, but it hurt like he _had known _him.

"I need for you to do as you're told, Zach, be a good man, will you?"

"Look," it was time to be honest, "I don't trust you, okay? You have me locked up, you're lying to your daughter, for Christ's sake, your whole life is a damn lie. You've had my memories wiped at least once and you put me in a cell with a girl who killed her father. I've been pretty nice about all of this- but now you're asking me to do as I'm told? Be a good man?" His voice raised to a higher pitch the more riled he got, "I just want to go _home_."

"You can't." He said simply, turning back around and catching his eye, "you left a note saying you ran away. The company left a trail that will have people searching for you in Paris- where you've always wanted to go. By the time they 'find' you there you'll have moved on to Italy. Outside of your family everyone thinks you went to live with your father. Zachary, these people are very thorough. If you escape that's the first place they'll look."

"I've never done anything cruel to _anybody._ Why are they keeping me here?" He stood up and poked at his captor's chest angrily, "How could you let them? And I'm not the only one either, am I? You guys probably have dozens of innocent people here."

"Yes, we do. Dozens here, dozens in the other facilities. We're at two hundred, actually." Mr. Bennett told him. "Currently, anyway. We've released a great deal of them- with tracking devices of course."

Zach could picture it. Two hundred people in two hundred identical rooms with two hundred different lives and two hundred different fears- it was nauseating. To steal so much freedom and for no other reason then special abilities? So the comic books had been right- humans couldn't handle a more advanced species. All those years of reading those stories and he never once thought about what it would have been like to be one of those mutants, hiding their identity from a frightened populace. "Of course." Zach repeated blandly.

Mr. Bennett put his hands in his pockets, "if it's any consolation, you don't have the tracking device. I ensured that."

"Well that's just great. _Should _I ever get out of here they _might_ not be able to find me. Thanks. Thanks a whole lot." Zach rolled his eyes and looked past Mr. Bennett to the glass that bound him. "You'll have to excuse me for not tripping over myself to thank you." Walking over, he placed two hands on the glass, eyes skimming the room outside of it where people could sit and watch whoever was in the room, where they could sit and watch _him_. He longed for the privacy of his own room, for his _computer _and most of all for his mother who loved him and was probably worried sick since he went missing. The fist in his gut was beginning again.

"Time to go." A clear and merry voice rang in through the room before a girl about his age walked in. She was shorter, her hair obviously bleached and cut right above her shoulders. He eyes were a cheerful hazel with green flecks. She had glossed lips, a sharp, longer nose and a warm smile making her quite the beauty. The girl seemed more self-assured then both Claire and Vera, not at all how girls their age were usually. She wore a power suit, blue skirt, blue jacket over a white blouse, like an attorney, not a teenage girl The glass doors closed behind her and she waved at some guy in a suit who was standing outside. The man was ominous, he was dressed like Mr. Bennett with slicked back dark hair and crisp features, eyes a dark, unsettling brown. "You have an assignment Bennett, I'll take care of young Mr. Nauman from here."

"Bolt," Linderman nodded at her then looked at Zach for a few moments before walking out the door.

Zach stared at the girl before him, 'Bolt'. "Are you taking me back to…Vera?"

"You know, it'd be great if Bennett and Thompson could keep their opinions to themselves." She looked annoyed, hands behind her back as she turned to look away from him and out the glass where Bennett was walking out the door with the dark haired business man had walked out. "She's nothing to be scared of as long as you don't make any physical contact, you'll be fine."

"Like…Rogue?"

"No." The blonde laughed a little, "but close, I guess. Vera can't absorb your powers. All she can do is manipulate emotions and feel the echoes people leave on you. Physical contact makes it easier for her to do so. However, like Rogue anytime she makes physical contact she keeps pieces of that person inside her. It's really been quite interesting studying her even if she is dull in other aspects. And before you ask, no. I don't read comic books but I have a brother who does and his obsession with that character is, quite frankly, disturbing."

Zach laughed, "yeah, I know a couple of those."

"I figured," she turned around, "I'm Bolt but if you want you can call me May, though I prefer Bolt because it's cooler."

It was like she was a little girl wearing her mother's clothing, he realized. She had no more maturity then he did, she was just dressed as though she was and it made her seem more adult. It was pleasantly disarming. When she extended her hand he took it briefly. "Nice to meet you…I think."

"I'd rather it be under different circumstances, you're kind of cute and I just broke up with my boyfriend but such is life." She winked boldly. "And really, Vera's not a threat. I swear."

"That's what Bennett said." Zach responded doubtfully. He couldn't shake the feeling that Vera was dangerous though or at least deeply troubled- and not in the after-school special kind of way. It just furthered the idea that he had to _escape_. But how? He was just a kid and this place…it seemed at least mostly secure. It was one of those 'what would Wolverine do?' moments but then again, Wolverine had big claws, regenerative properties and an adamantium skeleton- hell, he was impossible to kill and Zach didn't feel like he fit into the category. "Does uh- he have an ability?"

"Nope." She sat down on the bed and crossed her legs, leaning back, "most of the agents don't. People seem to get queasy about capturing their own kind." She met his gaze directly, "but we all have choices in life, you know? And I chose to do what I felt was right."

"It's right to just kidnap people?"

"My father has _always_ taught me that the greater good is far more important then a few individuals." There was an edge of bitterness to the words. "Now this is your chance to ask me questions- anything you want. I'll try and answer if I can."

Zach sat beside her on the bed, feeling awkward. At least he wasn't scared anymore. It was just usual teen hormone reacting to the girl with him. Well, maybe not to that girl but to any girl- especially one dressed like that secretary he had a crush on in his mom's office. It wasn't the sentimental fantasies he had for Claire but he couldn't be deep all the time. "What does this place actually do?"

"According to my father we find people with abilities and scrutinize them to ensure safety for all humankind. We're trying to avoid people like…well, like Sylar."

"Sylar?"

"He's this…monster…who, well," she shifted, uncrossing her legs and then crossing them in the opposite direction, "who is killing our kind and taking their abilities, we're not certain that's exactly how it's happening or how he does it. We had him in our custody but…" She lowered her head then glanced to the side at him, "he escaped."

_He escaped_. Zach felt his spirits lift a little, so it was possible.

"He's disgusting. It's like…cannibalism if you ask me."

"And so you just kidnap people- that's not disgusting?"

"I like you." She decided, "you're honest. That's rare around here- and I include myself among the phonies."

He noticed that she hadn't bothered to dispute his accusation. It seemed intentional and he hoped he wasn't wrong. It was time to put another question out there, "so you keep that Vera girl who murdered her step-father to…ensure other's safety?"

She made a face, "you should listen better."

"How do you mean?"

"Look, this place is full of smoke and mirrors, no one is what they seem, no one. So pay attention, read between the lines and maybe…maybe one day you can get out of here."

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There was a new one in. At least that's what the email had stated. The ability was unknown, age was seventeen and apparently he had once been friend's with The Horned Rimmed Glasses man's daughter.

Hana Gitelman was the one giving orders for a change and the task suited her, she found. Strategy was something she had become quite adept at over the years, she was no longer just the good soldier, she was the leader- her mother and grandmother would be proud.

The wind whipped over her jacket, creating a whooshing and slapping sound as she weaved through traffic on the highway, plunging into the spaces between cars with seemingly no regard to her or anyone else's safety. The truth was she knew how to maneuver that bike almost better then she had control over her own body. Like everything, it came with practice. So would leading the revolution in Odessa, Texas. It had taken quite some time for her to find a man inside that could help her bring those bastards down, now that she had she wasn't going to blow it because she was more inclined to take orders then to give them. It was time to shit or get off the pot, or so Thompson used to say.

Too bad his words were about to be used against him.

Fools that they were they probably didn't even see it coming. They were so arrogant, so self-involved that they didn't think one rogue agent could bring them down, let alone a female agent. Underestimating her abilities had always been their mistake though- this time it would be their last.

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"Now Vera, you're going to be nice to our new guest, aren't you?" Bolt asked as they reentered the room he was to share with her. She was back between the dresser and the bed, reading. She didn't look up or acknowledge their entrance. "Don't be a brat, Vera, say hello."

"We've already met." Zach offered uncomfortably looking from girl to girl and then deciding to take himself from between them. He casually walked around the room, opening the doors to his dresser to find clothing that appeared as though they would fit him, checking out the bathroom that was equipped with a shower, a toilet, a sink and a garbage can.

Bolt was sitting on Vera's bed legs dangling in front of the sullen girl. "Well you could at least tell me if you beat Haitian yet."

She looked up, finally interested, "Bokor won."

"Aw, don't feel too bad, he's been doing this since he was a kid." She nudged the book with the tip of her heeled shoe before looking back to Zach, "she and her creepy, mute trainer have been seeing what's more powerful mental manipulation or emotional manipulation. It's been quite interesting."

"He's not creepy. He's amazing." Vera contradicted.

"What she means by amazing is that she'd totally hit that." Bolt clarified, it elicited no response. A groan of exasperation at being ignored followed and Bolt stood up, standing directly in front of him. "But she's right. He has a powerful, powerful gift. He can block others abilities without breaking a sweat. Many with his kind of abilities have to focus their power- a great deal of them use physical pain to do so." She glanced at Vera expressively, "others need complete silence. The Haitian? He can just…do it. There was a telepath here, he was like that, he had a very natural talent for controlling his gift. As far as we know it only acted up once. See, the problem was he couldn't block out any voices in his head, he heard everyone's thoughts at one time. I imagine that to be very disconcerting."

Zach nodded in agreement, it probably wouldn't be very fun. "And what about you? What can you do?"

She lifted her hand and rubbed her pointer finger and thumb together. A small crackling sound followed, almost like a zapping and then he saw a spark. "Electricity. So you know what that makes me."

"What?"

Her grin was sly, "labor, of course. I'm the soldier, the little guy."

"She's the one who gets things done." Vera put in favorably and for a second Zach thought the girl might be envious. "Unlike most of us who are cripplingly weak."

"Oh, it's true. I won't be modest. I fight. Hell, Wireless herself trained me how to fight and Zach? I'm going to train you."

Zach started shaking his head, "You're going to train _me_? To fight? Is that joke?"

"Nope." Bolt grinned, "Vera's hopeless, she's clumsy. But you? You have grace. Besides, it's in your genes pal, your dad was no lightweight when it came to hand to hand."

Before he could stop himself he reached out and grabbed her shoulders, "my father? You knew my father?"

She nodded, "of course, who do you think helped train Wireless?"

He wanted to ask who wireless was but he wanted to know what his father was like more. "So he could fight? He could turn invisible and he was funny…?" He dropped his hands to his sides and stared at her imploringly.

Bolt nodded, "your father was…" She squinted her eyes, "how can I put this? He was brilliant- an amazing agent. He could get things done that nobody else could and not just because he could turn invisible but because he was sharp, resilient, agile- and he possessed this innate ability to know how to handle situations. More then that- he was a good person. Zach, like you. I think you're a good person."

"You've only met just met me," Zach pointed out, " I could be a real jerk."

"Well I'm the betting kind." Bolt informed him, "And I actually have five bucks saying you're as decent as I think you are." She winked and began walking towards the door. For a moment she paused, stopping in her tracks then she nodded at the man outside their room and the door opened, "Training starts tomorrow, Zach, be ready."

When she left Zach turned to Vera, his gut twisting. When she stared back at him, unblinkingly, he thought she was going to whisk his fear of her away but it didn't fade. "Tell me about yourself, Zachary." She suggested in that painfully calm voice, "what was your mother like?"

He cleared his throat and sat back down on his bed, pulling his legs up and sitting Indian style. "My mother…is beautiful, inside and out. It's…it's hard to imagine she had an affair." He looked down at his hands and felt a little more comfortable as he pictured his mother in his head despite this new knowledge of her. She was still his mother, affair or no. People make mistakes. He closed his eyes, picturing her in his head and was comforted and so he continued to talk about her, "she has this soft dark hair that's always in a long braid down her back and warm brown eyes. You just feel like you're at home when you're with her, you know? And she can look at you…and all the pain of the day goes away. The whispers, the taunts, the pain your peers inflict- it's just gone." When he opened his eye a tear slipped down his cheek. He missed her, so much. He missed his mother, his friends and he missed Claire. He missed her even more now that his memories were back. "My mother made me feel special enough to think I could even win the heart of, oh, what does it matter? I don't even know if I'll ever see either of them again."

Vera didn't reply and when he opened his eyes he was startled to see her directly in front of him. So much so he jumped back, crawling backwards on his bed to get away, she was smiling but there was something wrong with it, something disturbing about it. "You have a beautiful wristwatch."

Bolt sat down at the computer and stared at the screen although she wasn't really seeing it. She was looking into Zach's eyes, they were beautiful and shone with honesty. He wasn't a liar, he wasn't a bad person and when the time came he would do the right thing. It was really too bad though, had they met as regular people she would have definitely gone after him. Beautiful dark hair that he was growing out and she loved to run her fingers through longer locks, always had. Inviting brown eyes, the kind that made you want to confide in that person, the kind that looked right down into your soul. His skin was flawless, his smile beautiful- he was more then handsome, he was gorgeous.

And she was a ball of hormones. Bolt sighed, it was really too bad, she couldn't even have a little rendezvous, something short, maybe just a night? No, she told herself forcefully, she was not going to let her sexual appetite devour her chances at justice.

But he really was a very, very handsome guy.

_Vera?_

_What? _Came the tranquil voice of Bolt's favorite loon in the bin.

_Did Zach mention a girlfriend?_

There was a mental sigh, almost like she was actually hearing it. _He's in love with Bennett's daughter, Bolt. The all-consuming kind of love. It's not a good idea._

_That's what I thought. It's too bad _But truly she knew it was for the better. Something were meant to be strictly business. .

_Have you talked to her yet?_ Vera wanted to know. A one track mind, that girl.

_I'm about to. Goodnight, Vera._

_Goodnight._

That little telepathic trick came in handy and it would be even handier when the time came, or so Bolt had been told. She didn't know, she wasn't the leading type. It was a damn good thing that her fellow soldier had found her, a soldier who understood right from wrong, a soldier who was ready to be a general. Bolt pulled out the keyboard and began to type

**It's Claude's son. We'll use him. He starts training tomorrow, wireless. Write back with orders.  
**

Bolt smiled.


	3. Chapter Two

Sorry it's been so long with an update. It was a busy summer and then when the semester started I got even busier. But I had some time off from work and school while I was sick and I hammered this out. Hope you like it!

Note: Italics represent telepathic conversation

Bold is typing

**Barefootonthemoon:** Thanks so much! Zach's power is going to come into play in the next chapter  It's going to be a fun one, I hope! I'm glad you're liking the story!

**Romako** Thanks! I'm glad you're liking the story! It's funny, I love Bolt too- and now on Heroes there's a character with her powers. Very cool. The new girl on heroes is fun, I'm excited to see more from her.

**Digital-Dragon-Master** Wow! Thanks for the high praise! I loved Zach and he's definitely the center of this story as well as is his relationships with the other characters. I can assure you that there is no romance for Peter/Claire, only friendship and familial bond. Peter doesn't really have a main part until much later anyway. And I use the term 'main' loosely. I'm glad you enjoy my OC's. They're fun to write. As for whether this is Zach/Claire or not- it has been so far but who knows? I go where my muse takes me.

I'm so glad you're liking the story!!

**Chapter Two: Opportunity Kncks**

The bar was small, smoke swirled through the air, blending with the aroma of liquor, beer and if he wasn't mistaken, the faint aroma of marijuana. It was one of those dives girls didn't like to go into alone and parents warned their children to stay away.

Wireless wasn't one of those girls and she never had normal parents. Taking a swig of beer she stared at the entrance hard. Bolt told her that Claude's son was a captive of the Company. It was her responsibility to tell Claude, not that she was too keen on being the messenger but it was what it was.

Suddenly, directly in front of her in the booth, Claude appeared. "Okay, beautiful, care to tell me what's going on and why it's imperative I meet you here?"

"Where's Petrelli?" She countered, looking around, "or is his power invisibility too?"

Claude chuckled and narrowed his chestnut colored eyes. He wasn't exactly what a woman would call classically handsome; he was rough around the edges in appearance. His dirty blonde hair was mussed; his nose a little too long but he had good cheekbones and beautiful eyes. If she had enough to drink she might actually have taken him for a test-ride, see if there was some kind of passion hidden beneath that sarcastic veneer. "His power…is absorbing other people's powers. He picked up her beer and took a swig, "seems if he comes into contact with you that he picks up your power."

"That's some ability," Wireless muttered, whistling, "what's he going to do with all that power?"

"Probably blow up New York," Claude responded with a shrug, "at least that's what his dreams keep telling him."

"What? Where is he? Why aren't you stopping him?"

"Well see, funny thing happened, I was trying to stop him…by helping him control his power. That's right, I was doing something selfless for a change. But then, guess what? I got found. By the company."

Wireless blanched, "you what? They know you're alive?"

He nodded, "that's right, they know I'm alive."

She had the urge to hit her head multiple times upon the tabletop. Instead she tapped her fingers against its surface, "well it looks like my little plan hit a snag. So much for being a fearless leader."

"What would them knowing I'm alive do any damage to whatever plan you have?"

Wireless leaned in, lowering her voice. "Look, I found one of the base's. Bennett's base, actually, in Odessa Texas. There's an agent inside, I'm not saying names so don't even ask," she waved away the question she knew was on the tip of his tongue, "they're staging a rebellion of sorts, I was planning it for them."

"And?" Claude urged.

Wireless grimaced, "and then this agent and I were going to take the whole company down. She said we had to do it fast though, that the boys have a plan to infiltrate the government somehow. She couldn't be specific." Wireless shook her head, "but I got an email, something interesting, they got a new special."

"They get one at least once a month, so what?"

"Claude, it's your son."

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He felt like he had been hit by a Mac truck but in reality he was just getting his ass kicked by a girl.

They were in a gym, there were others like her there, others like what he was supposed to become and they took turns fighting each other. After a grueling few hours they would stop and rest, he would nap and it would feel like he had slept for hours but when he woke and looked at the clock only a few minutes had passed. It wasn't until what had felt like days later and turned out to be one day later that he asked Bolt what was going on. She nodded at the man from Palestine, a shorter man in his fifties whose head was shaved like the Haitian's and who never looked anyone in the eye and explained that he could slow down time around them while they trained. She then explained that saving time was very important.

After that she kicked his ass again.

And again.

She called it training.

Zach stared up at the ceiling, wondering why training felt a hell of a lot like torture.

Since that explanation he had no idea how much time had passed, it felt like a year but it could really have been only a few weeks. He hadn't spent much time with Vera since then and he was glad of that. She kept him calm but he also knew she was dangerous.

"Get up, Zach. Rest time is over." Bolt called over. "Tom, John- over there, I want you sparring. Dana, study them, I want you to be able to predict their moves before they can even come up with them by the end of the day."

Zach sat up, wincing, "can't I just lay here and die?"

"Well you could but then you just go back to your room with Vera." Bolt warned wickedly. He glared at her while begrudgingly getting to his feet. All the work was paying off and he knew it. He was learning how to fight and he was getting good- nowhere near as good as Bolt but he doubted few people were. He took note that she rarely used her power and when she did it was something small. Actually, he was taking mental notes on everything he saw, biding time, looking of a way to escape. With every moment he just wanted to leave more, the sinking feeling in his stomach told him something awful was happening. "And I don't think you want to go back to Vera, do you?"

Zach shook his head. She was the last person he wanted to see. His first impression of her had been favorable and he kept that into account when thinking about her but she was getting creepier by the day. At first she was just quiet and reserved, a little awkward at times but nothing out of the ordinary, even with the knowledge she had taken a life she didn't _seem_ all that different from the shy girls at his school. But then the little things began. There were traces of blood in the sink, on her pillow and blankets as well; he'd often find her on the bed, laying down, eyes open but completely oblivious to him. "Okay, so what is next on the menu?"

"You, sir, need to learn how to take a hit better." Her eyes glittered excitedly.

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After Wireless had finished explaining how Zachary had been taken and the extent the company went to make the world think he wasn't coming back by choice, Claude ordered a beer and glowered. She knew the deal, he was going to go after his son, which put him on her team. That was both good and bad, good because he was an asset, bad because this was a mission he was emotionally invested in. That meant he wouldn't be thinking clearly and that was something she didn't want on _her_ team.

_My team, Mother, you'd be so proud. _She thought, closing her eyes and taking a breath, "so you see, now that they know you're alive I have bets they're tightening security."

"They'll move the entire base," Claude responded slowly, "they have others built, vacant ones, for emergencies. They'll drug them all and move them."

"And if they weren't drugged…" Wireless smiled thoughtfully, "then that would be the time to escape. We just need to know when that is."

"It won't be for another couple of weeks. They're organized, not miracle workers." Claude began to explain hurriedly, "it takes time to prepare these emergency transfers and manpower. Actually, that means that other bases are going to be weakened…"

Wireless perked up, "it would be the perfect time then, wouldn't it? An all out…rebellion."

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Zachary collapsed on the bed, body an aching throbbing mess even after the scalding hot shower that had been meant to relieve the agony. He felt like he had the day his sister ran in front of his bike and he swerved to miss her, colliding with the neighbor's brick wall instead and crumpling to the ground. His mother, frenzied with worry rushed him to the hospital. It had been his first broken bone, his arm, and a fractured wrist. The rest of him had been covered with bruises and tiny lacerations from the gravel and rocks of the driveway. No…this pain was actually worse.

Vera was on her bed, book in front of her face, silent as usual.

She never spoke and he was getting tired of her silence although he knew it was in large part because he feared her. It wasn't that he wanted to be frightened of her but he couldn't help it. She had killed the man that raised her and showed no remorse that he could see. Part of him wanted to ask why she did it but the rest of him knew that some questions shouldn't be asked. So instead he thought he'd ask something innocuous. "So where did you grow up?"

"Brooklyn." She responded in a muted voice. He looked over to see her head buried halfway into her pillow, hair covering up her face, like a little girl trying to stay in bed because underneath there would be a monster that could grab her. She sat up and looked at him and when her eyes met his it was like staring into nothing. "Why?"

"I grew up in Odessa, with my mom and my- her husband." He lay back down and stared back up at the ceiling. "In a nice home with a white picket fence and a dog, Sparks, he was a beagle. Very normal childhood. Well, I guess it probably looked like it. My parents fought a lot, big fights, screaming and things being thrown. He drank, she cried, I hid. I never told anyone- until now, I mean." He turned on his side and propped his head with his hand and directed his face towards her bed across the room. She sat up, legs dangling from the side, hands planted on each side of her, hair framing her pale face. "Well, Claire kinda knew but then she got popular and forgot about me."

"But you never forgot about her."

Zach sighed, "No, I never did. Life-long crush and all that. Not that I have a shot in hell, because, you know, I don't but hey—when push came to shove, when she needed someone to trust, I was there. I think that says something…don't you?"

Vera nodded.

"She probably thinks I just abandoned her, no goodbye, no anything. I'll never get to tell her differently."

_If this is your subtle way of asking me if I'm going to tell that her ability manifested I can tell you I won't._ She smiled at him, "I'm very sorry, I wish I could change things."

_Are they always listening? _"Me too but I guess I'll just train with Bolt to pass the time. You really can't fight?"

Vera shrugged, "Unfortunately no, I can't. I'm terribly clumsy, I always have been. My brother used to tell me that grace wasn't everything, I had other charms." _I've never been sure but being cautious has kept me alive thus far, why throw it to the wind now? __  
_  
Zach smiled, "you're close with your brother?" _Sounds like a plan then. Why would you keep this secret for Bennett? He hates you. __  
_

"He raised me," she responded slowly, looking down at her hands. _And what of Claire? What has she done to me? What would getting her brought here do for me? Nothing. It would be wasteful._ "Everything I know, everything that I am is because of him and for that he has me forever."

"Has you?" Zach cocked a brow, "as in you belong to him?"

"Of course." She tilted her head to the side, "what else would I mean?"

"My mother raised me," Zach responded slowly, "and she loved me like nobody else has but she doesn't own me. I'm my own person, I make my own decisions."

"Were you comparing us?"

"Well your brother's father isn't yours, right? And yet he was still with your mother after him. Let me guess, he didn't like you too much. Sounds a lot like how I grew up." He felt like he was treading on dangerous ground but curiosity was overcoming that fear. It wasn't his brightest moment and he knew it but still, what could drive such a young girl to kill a man? He had to know. "So we have something in common."

She stood and walked towards him, stopping short an arm's length away. "We're nothing alike, Zachary. You're a reasonably intelligent, kind-hearted and likeable young man. I'm…something quite the opposite of that."

"But our family situations-"

"Are different as well. Your step-father had no real reason to have malice for you." She folded her arms over her chest and the material of her long-sleeved nightgown moved with her body, creating a silky sound that he rather liked. It reminded him of when his mother would sit by his bed and read him a bedtime story. "Your mother, she loved you and you, her. My life was quite different from that, I assure you."

Zach bit his lip, "Vera, did they hurt you?"

"I hurt them." She replied, eyes downcast. "Your sister, what's her name?"

"Angelina."

Vera smiled, "it's a pretty name." She turned around and lay back down on her bed.

He wasn't letting it go. "Why did you hurt them though?"

"Zachary, honestly? I don't think you want to know this. I'm not intentionally trying to be mysterious but it truly is an ugly story and you're afraid enough of me as it is. This isn't selfless mind you, your fear is like a gnat, constantly buzzing at me." She sighed heavily, "it's exasperating at best. I think it would be better if we talked about you."

"I know all about me." He argued, "and virtually nothing about you except that you want to find your brother and you killed your step-father."

"I like to read." She offered.

He shook his head, "I see you reading all the time, I already know that."

She shrugged, "then you know all you need to. I'm really not all that interesting anyway."

"You scare me." Zach finally stated, "and I don't want to be scared of you anymore. I figure that people fear what they don't understand. I want to understand you."

She smiled warily; it was almost a ghost of an expression. "I'm quite one dimensional. All I want is to be reunited with my brother and I will accomplish that by any means necessary."

"And Bokor?"

"What of him?" She asked sincerely, "I have no violent intentions towards him, I don't know why Bolt insists that I do."

He couldn't help it, he laughed, "you mean when she says you want to 'hit that?'"

Vera nodded.

"Vera, all that means is that you, you know, wouldn't mind being…well, it means you'd like to have sex with him." It came out far more lame then he intended and his voice caught on the end, "I mean, it's slang for that."

Staring at him, she blinked in recognition. "Oh."

"Yeah, she thinks you want him. Is he your type?"

"I don't have a type. Do you? Are you supposed to?" She questioned, suddenly looking interested, "does everyone have a type?"

Zach smiled, it was like when his little sister had her first crush and she wondered why she was suddenly so nervous around the boy. He watched as Vera pulled her knees up to her chest and stared imploringly at him, waiting for his answer. "I never had a type per say but I go for strong girls, you know, not weak and whiny."

"Like Wireless." Vera realized, "she helped train Bolt, you know, before she escaped. She's strong, resilient and has given this place a run for its money in the past." She bit her lip, "she's a little old for you though- Bolt, she's strong and brave too. I guess I can see what's attractive about that. I admire both women."

"Well see, we do have something in common then." He offered, "and what about you? What would you like in a boyfriend?"

She looked conflicted for a moment; "Gabriel never said anything about me having a boyfriend."

"Huh?"

She shrugged, "we talked a lot about the future. He never mentioned my being involved with anyone."

"Did he have any girlfriends?"

She nodded, "oh sure, but he never kept them long and he didn't say much about them except that they didn't understand him. I never got to meet any, he never brought them home and I wasn't allowed to leave our apartment very often. I was allowed to go on the roof of the building with Gabriel sometimes. And to the park once or twice a year in the summer."

"Vera, you know that's abuse, right?"

She shook her head, "no, no they never hurt me. Like I said, my mother and her husband were good people."

"Then why? Why did you kill him?"

She looked at her hands and then her head snapped up. She looked at him, eyes narrowed. _Bolt says it's time._ "I don't want to discuss that anymore. I'm going to read now."

_Time for what? _"Can I borrow a book?"

She nodded, turning towards her shelf and picking up a small leather bound book. She handed it to him, careful not to make any physical contact. _We're escaping. There's a group of us- Bolt's getting our orders from Wireless. It's time you knew._

"Thanks." He opened the book and looked blankly at the pages as he sat down on his bed. _Are you asking me if I'm in?_

_That's exactly what I'm asking. _She flipped a page, not looking up at him. He briefly wondered if she ever read at all or if she just used it as a mask to talk to people. If that was the case, she was talking a lot- and to who? Was he put in her room so she could spy on him? Look into his thoughts? His heart began to pound with fear. If she were then they would know about Claire. _Claire's fine. She will continue to be fine. Bennett won't let anything happen to her._

_You have a lot of faith in a man that hates you. _

_We don't have time for this, Zachary. Are you in? _

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_He's in. _Vera's voice was clear as day in Bolt's head.

**He's in. **

Bolt typed the words, still smiling. She couldn't believe it was happening so soon. Finally some action! More importantly, blessed, blessed freedom and the chance to smoke the damn company that dictated her life once and for all.

But the news kept getting better, Claude was alive. She couldn't wait to tell Zach. He'd be so excited. She was certain he'd love his father, he was a hero so how could he not? Claude would help set things right, he could even help in finding Claire later on. After all, who knew Bennett better then his former partner?

Things were finally looking up.

**Everything is in order.**

Bolt closed her laptop as the door opened and Agent Burroughs was standing at her door. "The Haitian took Bennett's daughter."

"What?"

He nodded grimly, "Bennet's in surgery. The Haitian shot him. We don't know how involved he was in this- but we think that the Haitian was never allied with us at all. That perhaps this entire time he was a plant." Burrough's deep voice sent a chill up Bolt's spine. That…wasn't good. Not good at all. She matched the stern man's serious expression.

"But- by who?"

"The girl's grandmother, of course."

Bolt swallowed, _Claire's gone, The Haitian took her to her biological family. Bennett's been brought in. Vera, what the hell do we do now? _

"Does she even know her grandmother? Does she even know who her real parents are?" Bolt demanded, "this is ridiculous! My father is going to roll heads for this one. A plant, a spy! In our midst? I can't believe it."

Burrough's was shaking his head, "we're going to have to tighten security even more. Now that Claude's alive- it looks like we're going to have to move base…even more quickly then already planned."

_Stay calm. Look natural. It's going to be okay. _Vera's voice in her head helped. Bolt bit her lip, "well lets get on that then, Burroughs. Start preparations for the move. The sooner, the better."

"That's what your father said."

Bolt smirked. Of course it was. _Vera? _

_Zach knows. He's calm. I assured him she'll be fine._

_Are you certain?_

When she didn't get an answer, Bolt's throat constricted. Of course she wasn't sure. None of them could be. This was a time of war and in war nothing was written in the stars. _We might not be able to wait for Wireless, Bolt._ Vera pointed out.

Bolt watched as Burroughs walked out of the room before plopping down into her computer chair. Going ahead with the plan…before Wireless could catch up to them? She couldn't lead this rebellion, she couldn't…not by herself. _Vera, I'm a soldier. I'm not a leader. I can't do this. _

_There's no choice. _

_I'll need you to keep me level headed, Vera…_

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_You're certain, absolutely certain that the mute freak won't hurt Claire? _Zach demanded again, still not paying attention to the book in his hands. _Because if he does, I swear to God I will-_

_Stop, Zach, You're getting yourself worked up, again. I told you that Claire is in no danger from him. _He breathed deeply, put the book down and shut his eyes. _Everything is okay, everything is fine. _

Everything was okay, everything was fine.

He swallowed hard. He was going to escape, he no longer cared if this was Vera trying to trap him and earn points with their captors. This was his best shot and he was going for it. Claire needed him, he was sure of it and he would get to her.

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Claire glanced over at the Haitian, sighing. She was leaving everything behind- she had never felt so…empty before.

She wished Zach were there. He'd crack a joke or say something crazy and she'd feel better. He'd assure her that her father would be fine and that everything would be alright and she'd believe him for no other reason then he was just….Zach. But he wasn't around, he didn't even say goodbye. She at least thought he was her friend, that he cared. "I guess I was wrong."

"Wrong about what?" The Haitian inquired, not looking away from the road.

Claire sighed, realizing she had spoken aloud. "Nothing…nothing…"

She didn't bother trying to convince herself that she was telling the truth.

**Stay tuned: Zach comes face to face with Linderman and his power surfaces.**


End file.
